Category Archives: Political thinking

Donald Trump has already repudiated Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power, a book by Washington Post reporters, Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher.

Kranish and Fisher have culled dozens of articles from Post reporters and others, as well as spent 20 interview hours with Trump to create this unauthorized biography. The book begins with his 2008 travel to Scotland to visit the house in which his mother grew up. He went inside and spent a total of 97 seconds.

Trump Revealed also provides vignettes of his childhood exploits. A next door neighbor tells the story of how she briefly left her toddler in the yard, and returned to find a six year old Trump throwing rocks at her baby.

Trump himself recounts a story about how he punched a teacher, and gave him a black eye. On the teacher’s deathbed in a hospice he heard that Trump was considering running for President and said, “When that kid was ten, even then he was a little shit.”

Surprisingly, Trump describes himself as “aggressive.” When he was growing up, Westside Story was a Broadway hit. He and his friend liked to pretend they were gang members mimicking the play, and they begin to buy knives. “At first the knives they used were six inches long, but they graduated to eleven-inch blades as they became more daring.” Soon after this event, Trump was sent to military boarding school.

Even though, we’ve heard some of these stories, and facts and figures many times in the last few months, Kranish and Fisher’s prose in Trump Revealed is chockfull of illustrative images and is, at times, powerful. The recounting of his childhood escapades, the string of his disastrous business failings and unpaid bills, as well as his propensity for lawsuits, might be enough to make some supporters change their minds.

However, since there’s very little written about Trump’s family, there’s an obvious lack of transparency about his life. Most of the stories in the press are the fodder of the family drama, or ones he manufactured. It makes the line between real and deception murky. When people try to dig in, he’s a master at distracting those who believe in him. He won’t disclose his tax returns. No one seems to remember him at Wharton.

As pointed out in the book, despite his countless insults, his financial instability, that most of the Republican Party has rejected him, defense experts have called him a threat to national security, that most of his business endeavors have fizzled, and his understanding of foreign policy and the global economy is non-existent, people still bask in his shadow, blindly, and follow him like the Pied Piper.

It’s clear Trump has a talent for picking a mark. His attitude is obviously all’s fair in business and politics. This time, as the Republican Presidential Candidate, he’s going for the high stakes and making his mark America. Let’s hope he fails at this as well.

Why is the candidate running for President? Do they have a history of public service? Do they really have America’s best interest in mind?

Polls/Surveys – Is It Gallup or Undefined

When you hear a percentage mentioned, whether it’s by a candidate, a news station, a publication or blog, make sure it’s attached to a legitimate poll and defines the cross-section of people questioned. Polls can be skewed to validate a person’s viewpoint. If you poll 20 of your friends, they will say you’re a great person. What happens if you poll exes, are they going to give you the same review?

TV Stations Have Political Leanings

A TV Stations news and the programs they broadcast host people who support their views. They will also poll people who back their opinions. Keep this in mind as you watch TV and as you read articles about the elections. If it mentions a specific TV station survey, again, is it official or slanted?

Make Sure To Fact-Check

Politicians will exaggerate. As everyone knows, America’s first amendment is freedom of speech. Sometimes candidates will propagate fabrications about other candidates with negative advertising. Remember, just because the targeted politician ignores it, doesn’t make them guilty. Also, just because something negative is repeated and reiterated and repeated again does not make it true.

Bullies Do Not Make Good Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt’s expression, “Walk softly and carry a big stick” are words to strongly consider. The loudest person in the room may get the most attention, but this may actually mean that they are the weakest candidate. What candidates have diplomacy and executive qualities? Think about the last 30 years of US Leaders. Who brought America up and who brought America down? Then draw your own conclusions.

Intelligent Candidate or Not

It’s true anyone can be President in America, if you’re at least 35 years old and a natural born US citizen. No one ever says it, but in order to be President, you must be intelligent. As the election approaches, think about the smart Presidents and the not-so-smart ones. Who did the better job?

Big Picture vs. Extreme Thinking

A President cannot have extreme views. The old cliché applies here: Are they part of the solution/the present and the future or are they part of the problem/stuck in the past?

Track Record, Track Record, Track Record

Just because a candidate makes a promise doesn’t mean they will keep it. Who has followed through in the past and helped make the United States and the world a better place and who has not?

House of Representatives And The Senate

Keeping election promises also depends on The Congress and The Senate. These offices are very important. A candidate may make election declarations, but will the Senate and House pass bills, or will they (for political reasons) just block a President who belongs to the opposite party?

Religion Belongs in the Place of Worship

Separation of Church and State. If you want to be Christian or Catholic or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or Lutheran or 100’s of other religions, then be them, but candidates should not interject their religious beliefs into the government.

Are you registered? Contact your local election board if you need to register or if you’ve moved since the last time you voted. Do vote in the mid-term elections. You can affect the future of your country. Your vote does matter. And for young voters or just young at heart, here are 10 Reasons why you should vote.

The interview raised numerous questions. When should a journalist apologize and when does a subject get a second chance? What were Kelly’s motivations? Was the interview scripted just to get ratings for Fox? Was the feud a publicity stunt from the beginning?

It’s no secret that journalistic impartiality and integrity are key when reporting a story. Megyn Kelly is not the only journalist to endure ridicule from peers. Over the years, journalists have made mistakes and had to apologize, while becoming the punchline in many newsrooms.

The New York Times was highly criticized when three reporters covered a story about six students who were killed, when a balcony collapsed at a party at Berkeley. The story focused on the party issue, rather than taking into account that six lives had been lost, and the devastating effect the deaths would have on students, colleagues, friends and family.

Ahmen Khawajai from the BBC mistakenly tweeted that Queen Elizabeth II had died. The reporter faced an investigation among other disciplinary actions.

And, of course, there is the well-known story about Stephen Glass, formerly of The New Republic, who fabricated several articles to raise his notoriety. A movie “Shattered Glass,” recounted Glass’s deception.

While Megyn Kelly, unlike the aforementioned, hasn’t done anything unethical, her motive to even interview Trump is perplexing, since he spent countless hours demeaning and verbally abusing her, via Twitter, as well as in interviews.

Criticism regarding Kelly’s actions has made headlines, and has been fodder for nighttime talk show hosts. The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah called the interview “Couples Therapy.” In response to this accusation, Kelly tweeted, “So grateful I have men like @Trevornoah 2 advise on how to deal w/gender attacks- I’m sure his life experience (sic) far better than mine on this!”

One thing is certain, not everything needs or even deserves a reply, particularly when you’re a public figure.

Megyn Kelly has an impressive journalistic track record. America wanted to cheer her on while she stood up to the man who refused to participate in a debate, because she was the moderator, who had insulted her, degraded women, Mexicans, Muslims, and many others over the last few months.

Instead of facing him, Kelly leaned in during the interview, treating him with kid gloves, allowing him to make excuses, as if he was fragile and sympathetic. Trump’s explanations of campaign strategy and dragging others into character debate as deflection, is no justification for racism, slurs and offensive language.

As stated by Kelly: It’s true, it’s up to each individual how they handle attackers. However, it’s particularly important when you’re a public figure to set an example. She’s an intelligent person and a tenured journalist. She could have had a great impact culturally. She did not. She chose to do the exact opposite.

Why was she trying to help Trump rehabilitate his image?

For many who have been bullied or abused, watching the interview was disturbing and a huge letdown, as described by Emily Crocket on Vox.com.

It’s important for a reporter to live up to certain journalistic standards. There were a lot of missed opportunities here, as pointed out by several of Kelly’s critics.

If you can’t take it, then don’t dish it out, and certainly don’t ever run for President of the United States.

Name calling and barb-wielding accusations between presidential candidates have occurred since George Washington became the first President of the United States. He was uncontested and yet, people still found things to complain about.

Naked pictures, cheating spouses, shady business deals: social media has forever changed the shock value of the public’s responses to news. No one is shaken by anything anymore. The up-to-the minute reporting about violence, terrorist attacks, crimes in the U.S. and entertainers’ personal lives has heightened tolerance levels for what is defined as scandal.

We are a jaded nation.

Only Kim Kardashian and a few others can take a naked selfie and have people debate its inappropriateness. No one cares about Melania Trump posing nude or whether Hollywoodlife.com reported Ted Cruz’s infidelities, or about Vanityfair.com’s article about Bernie Sanders misappropriating campaign finances, and all the articles debating Hillary Clinton’s ability to lead as a woman.

What people do listen to is how the candidate responds to these accusations, and whether they actually did anything wrong. Can they shake it off, laugh it off, be tough, and take the beating?

Everyone knows the bickering is a deflection tactic, a way to avoid the actual issues. While some people get swept up in the mayhem, the rest of us are waiting on the edge of our seats in front of our televisions, by our twitter feeds, Snapchats, Instagram posts, blogs, videos and newsfeeds to read, see and hear what a candidate actually has to say about the issues and how they plan to achieve their promises.

“Nobody told me about it. You hit me with it yesterday. These are Donald Trump’s excuses for not attending the GOP Debate in Salt Lake City, Utah, which was scheduled for March 21, 2016. Another fabrication from Mr. Trump. According to an article on Fox8live, published on March 11, 2016, Trump said that even though he’d had enough of the political face –offs, he was, “ok,” with taking part in the next two debates.

All three candidates have dropped out of the upcoming Republican Debate, according to CBSnews.com. Trump and Cruz have chosen to speak at the 3-day AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) Conference, which will take place in Washington D.C.

The cause of Trump’s denial may also be that he inherited his father’s Alzheimer’s gene. According to Wikipedia, Trump’s father suffered from Alzheimer’s. Born in 1946, Trump will be 70 when the election rolls around. This may sadly be the beginning of it for him, and may explain some of his erratic behavior.

No doubt, Trump is getting an onslaught of primary votes, because some are tired of “the establishment,” who mainly help low-income households or the wealthy. The problems of these demographics are an easier fix.

Surprisingly, it’s not just the white supremacists who support him. Trump also appeals to some minority voters according to a D.C. Whispers source. They believe Trump’s business acumen will help fix the ills of this country.

It’s a well-known fact that Trump hasn’t been a businessman in years. Trump is a brand and a celebrity, not a politician, and certainly not a civil servant. Trump lends his name for a price. The Huffington Post, reported that he has filed for bankruptcy four times since 1991. This is more than other corporations.

Remember, you can’t file Chapter 11 with the U.S. debt.

What these constituents don’t realize is: Trump, like most politicians, doesn’t write policy for and probably won’t tackle, the issues of the middle class, who get saddled with U.S. bills, while the low-income continue to pay very little tax, and the wealthy and corporations, receive several tax deductions.

Most campaign promises center around easy fixes. Trump is no different and his campaign promises are vague. Below are five of his 76 Campaign Promises that cannot be kept.

According to Trump, he does tackle middle class issues. He pledges higher tariffs on products from companies who produce their goods outside the U.S, claiming this will bring jobs back to the United States. The likely scenario is: higher taxes imposed on these goods will pass off higher costs to the consumer. The money from the tariffs will not go into the American pocket.

There is not a profit-sharing plan in the U.S. A government cannot be run exactly like a corporation. It’s more complicated than that.

Building a wall along the Mexican border and making the Mexican government pay for it won’t fix the economy, and it’s a promise Mr. Trump will not be able to keep. First, the Mexican government will not foot the bill for a 2,000 mile wall that will cost tens of millions of dollars, according to an article on cnbc.com. As a point of reference, the Berlin wall was 96 miles long.

Even if Trump agreed to pick the bill up himself, there are a host of environmental and engineering obstacles to overcome, according to the Washington Post. Not to mention, it would bring on multiple legal battles from ranchers along the four states, who graze their cattle on the land. It’s their land and, private property, not U.S.-owned.

Students at Wofford College in South Carolina, where Trump attended a Town Hall will have jobs after graduation. What about all the other college graduates, and what about all the other Americans who need jobs?

No longer charge tax to individuals who make less than $25,000 or couples who make less than $50,000. This is a bill that will never make it through the House of Representatives and Senate, but also low-income families already have many tax breaks, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Many people just don’t take advantage of them.

Ensure that Americans can still afford to golf. Not all of us like to golf.

While Trump would like us to think that he is invincible, and what he says will become law, remember that he filed Chapter 11 four times, and the President of the U.S. is not a dictator. Laws have to be passed through the House of Representatives and the Senate. Even if a President signs an Executive Order, they can be contested in a court of law, as is the current state of President Obama’s Dream Act.

Americans beware. Trump will surely send America backwards and sink the country into a depression.

America will become a military, de-regulated country. This is proven by his recent threat to cause civil unrest. According to Bloomberg, Trump “warned of “riots,” if power-brokers deny him the nomination at the convention.”

He is threatening the lives of the people of the United States of America. Isn’t this treason and terrorism?

According to U.S News & World Report, the non-partisan Tax Policy Center and The Tax Foundation, Trumponomics would increase our national debt by $11 trillion by 2026, and increase by 80% of GDP in the following decade.

There would be aftershocks from Trumpterror, a risk Americans can’t and shouldn’t be willing to take.

Where the political landscape stands on this Super Tuesday is in limbo. Candidates are high on hopes that the up-for-grab delegates from each of the 11 states will belong to them.

There will be fodder shed, in particular for the Republican Party whose campaign efforts have seemed more like a High School Student Counsel Election than a U.S. Presidential one. With all the sideshow, up-close-and personal antics, where bickering and airing of dirty laundry has been the rule, they have more than worn out their welcome of their 15 minutes of fame.

Pundits and reporters alike have given their views on what each candidate will need to survive. The Republican Party is trying to regain composure after being Trumpetized. Trump’s constant guilt-free attitude and recent refusal to disavow David Duke has given them fuel to withdraw their support.

Who will rock and rule Super Tuesday isn’t really a mystery. It’s no secret that Hillary Clinton will come out on top for Democrats. Trump will probably still win, despite the hard core humiliation message the Republican Party is trying to send to him.

Republicans, however, should hope for Kasich, as he is their only viable candidate, sane and Presidential in the sea of their insanity.

There are 449 days until the 2016 Presidential Election. Here are 11 things to think about as November 8, 2016 approaches.

Candidate Intent

Why is the candidate running for President? Do they have a history of public service? Do they really have America’s best interest in mind?

Polls/Surveys – Is It Gallup or Undefined

When you hear a percentage mentioned, whether it’s by a candidate, a news station, a publication or blog, make sure it’s attached to a legitimate poll and defines the cross-section of people questioned. Polls can be skewed to validate a person’s viewpoint. If you poll 20 of your friends, they will say you’re a great person. What happens if you poll exes, are they going to give you the same review?

TV Stations Have Political Leanings

A TV Stations news and the programs they broadcast host people who support their views. They will also poll people who back their opinions. Keep this in mind as you watch TV and as you read articles about the elections. If it mentions a specific TV station survey, again, is it official or slanted?

Make Sure To Fact-Check

Politicians will exaggerate. As everyone knows, America’s first amendment is freedom of speech. Sometimes candidates will propagate fabrications about other candidates with negative advertising. Remember, just because the targeted politician ignores it, doesn’t make them guilty. Also, just because something negative is repeated and reiterated and repeated again does not make it true.

Bullies Do Not Make Good Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt’s expression, “Walk softly and carry a big stick” are words to strongly consider. The loudest person in the room may get the most attention, but this may actually mean that they are the weakest candidate. What candidates have diplomacy and executive qualities? Think about the last 30 years of US Leaders. Who brought America up and who brought America down? Then draw your own conclusions.

Intelligent Candidate or Not

It’s true anyone can be President in America, if you’re at least 35 years old and a natural born US citizen. No one ever says it, but in order to be President, you must be intelligent. As the election approaches, think about the smart Presidents and the not-so-smart ones. Who did the better job?

Big Picture vs. Extreme Thinking

A President cannot have extreme views. The old cliché applies here: Are they part of the solution/the present and the future or are they part of the problem/stuck in the past?

Track Record, Track Record, Track Record

Just because a candidate makes a promise doesn’t mean they will keep it. Who has followed through in the past and helped make the United States and the world a better place and who has not?

House of Representatives And The Senate

Keeping election promises also depends on The Congress and The Senate. These offices are very important. A candidate may make election declarations, but will the Senate and House pass bills, or will they (for political reasons) just block a President who belongs to the opposite party?

Religion Belongs in the Place of Worship

Separation of Church and State. If you want to be Christian or Catholic or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or Lutheran or 100’s of other religions, then be them, but candidates should not interject their religious beliefs into the government.

Are you registered? Contact your local election board if you need to register or if you’ve moved since the last time you voted. Do vote in the mid-term elections. You can affect the future of your country. Your vote does matter. And for young voters or just young at heart, here are 10 Reasons why you should vote.